Having kept a low profile for over a thousand years as a talisman cultivator, this was the first time Wen Jingshu had ever so arrogantly relied on her superior cultivation to bully someone.
And truth be told, it felt incredibly satisfying.
Tossing another Healing Talisman to Tian Can with a casual flick of her wrist, Wen Jingshu said in an unvarying tone:
“Since Fellow Daoist Tian is injured and cannot walk right now, let us rest here for a while.”
Wang Kui and Mei Yu were shocked by Wen Jingshu’s sudden violence. Now, seeing her act as if it had nothing to do with her, they were somewhat speechless.
Did she not know perfectly well why he was injured and unable to walk?
Who was she trying to show this understanding front to now!
Because Wen Jingshu had revealed this side of herself, the two of them reevaluated her in their minds.
Wang Kui found a place to sit down and pulled out his prepared dry rations, taking large bites. Mei Yu was somewhat at a loss, sitting in one spot as she looked at Wang Kui one moment and Wen Jingshu the next.
As for Tian Can, he lay in the corner like a dead dog, slowly recovering from his injuries.
Wen Jingshu was much more relaxed. With a wave of her hand, a bundle of firewood appeared in the clearing. With a flick of her finger, the firewood was instantly ignited, and in the blink of an eye, she had set up a spit to roast a chicken.
Only after reaching the Golden Core Stage could cultivators abstain from eating. Low-tier cultivators had no money to buy Fasting Pills, so they still had to eat ordinary food when they were hungry.
Her chicken had been marinated in advance, so there was absolutely no need to add any other seasonings.
Seeing that there was still empty space nearby, Wen Jingshu pulled out a table, chairs, and stools.
She slapped a control talisman onto the roasting chicken to make it turn slowly and evenly. Then, she took out some spirit fruits and arranged them on the table. Once the chicken was fully roasted, a simple yet sumptuous lunch was ready.
Instantly, Wang Kui and Mei Yu felt that the dry rations in their hands were no longer appetizing.
Wait, weren't they out here on a dangerous training expedition?
How did she just start enjoying herself like this?
Wen Jingshu's actions this time completely cowed Tian Can. For the next two days, Tian Can was as quiet as a lamb, not even daring to look at her.
Upon arriving at the area where their mission's spiritual plants grew, the four of them split up to gather them.
With Zhaocai around, Wen Jingshu quickly gathered a sufficient quantity of the spiritual plants.
Along the way, she even had some unexpected harvests.
“A fourth-rank spiritual plant... Hm, not bad.”
Thinking back to when she was still just the talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu, finding a single fourth-rank spiritual plant would have been enough to make her day.
But now, seeing a fourth-rank spiritual plant was no different from seeing a weed by the roadside.
Sure enough, as one's standing changed, one's perspective on these natural treasures shifted as well.
Sixth-rank was barely passable, seventh-rank was decent, eighth-rank was considered a treasure, and only ninth-rank spiritual plants were worth Wen Jingshu risking her life to seize.
Seeing that it was still early and the other three had not yet returned, Wen Jingshu pulled out her heavy sword, put on her gravity rings, and began practicing her basic forms.
Under the double burden of both, she managed to swing the sword only five hundred times over the course of one shichen.
Feeling her spiritual energy depleted, Wen Jingshu quickly consumed a Rejuvenation Pill.
Wang Kui was the first to return. Seeing Wen Jingshu swinging her sword with such effort, he asked in confusion, “Fellow Daoist Liu is a sword cultivator?”
Wen Jingshu did not hide it either. “Yes, I've just entered the path.”
She had only recently formed her Sword Heart, so indeed, she had basically just entered the path.
Seeing Wen Jingshu working so hard, Wang Kui felt too embarrassed to rest. He pulled out his own axe and began practicing his techniques.
The two of them waited in silence, but after another full day, the remaining two had still not returned.
Clearly, an accident had occurred.
As the captain, Wang Kui had a duty to ensure the safety of his team members. Knowing that Wen Jingshu did not get along with Tian Can, he took the initiative to say, “Fellow Daoist Liu, how about you search for Fellow Daoist Mei, and I go check on Fellow Daoist Tian?”
Wen Jingshu had no objections. Stepping onto her flying sword, she flew off in the direction Mei Yu had taken.
Zhaocai was first-rate at finding treasures, and tracking someone by their scent was even easier.
The person and mouse wound their way through the terrain and eventually ran into a disheveled and battered Mei Yu at the next bend.
“Fellow Daoist Liu, save me!”
Seeing Wen Jingshu, Mei Yu looked as though she had found her savior and hurriedly hid behind her.
Almost as soon as Wen Jingshu came to a halt, she saw seven or eight Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves charging toward them.
The Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves growled threateningly at the two of them. Seemingly sensing that Wen Jingshu was not to be trifled with, they did not make any reckless moves.
Before Wen Jingshu could even ask, Mei Yu hurriedly explained, “It was Tian Can! He set his eyes on some spirit beast cubs and insisted on stealing them!”
“When the Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves caught up, Tian Can threw the cubs to me to buy time for his own escape!”
Mei Yu’s face was filled with terror, yet she clutched the cubs tightly, refusing to let go.
Wen Jingshu glanced at her, then at the cubs, and said:
“And so? Are you going to return the cubs to them now, or fight these Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves to the death?”
Now it was Mei Yu's turn to be astonished.
Wen Jingshu actually wasn't going to help her?
As if seeing through Mei Yu’s bewilderment, Wen Jingshu said:
“When you steal someone else's children, you should be prepared to face the retaliation of their parents.”
Spirit beasts were different from demon beasts, who had little to no intelligence or emotion and relied solely on animal instinct.
Spirit beasts possessed emotions. If a cultivator stole their offspring, they would certainly fight to the bitter end.
As for Mei Yu claiming that Tian Can was the one who stole the cubs...
Zhaocai indicated that it did not smell Tian Can’s scent on the cubs at all.
Mei Yu was clearly unwilling to part with the spirit beast cubs she had obtained. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Fellow Daoist Liu, please help me! I have two cubs here; I can give you one!”
Although Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves were spirit beasts, they were only high-grade first-rank spirit beasts. Naturally, Wen Jingshu had no interest in them.
However, possessing over a thousand years of memories as the talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu, she could deeply understand the struggle in Mei Yu's heart.
If it had been her past self as a talisman cultivator, she would have been tempted upon seeing Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolf cubs too.
But understanding was one thing; the fact remained that Mei Yu was using her, hoping to deal with the wolves through her hands.
It was precisely because she knew Wen Jingshu’s true strength that she had dared to covet the cubs in the first place.
If not for her presence, Mei Yu wouldn't have dared to set her sights on spirit beast cubs even if she were given ten times the courage.
“I am not interested in the cubs you stole. However, I can sell you a few talismans. Do you want them?”
High-grade first-rank Exploding Talismans were more than enough to handle high-grade first-rank spirit beasts.
Mei Yu calculated the value of the two cubs against the cost of the talismans in her head. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Fine, I’ll buy them!”
Once the transaction was completed with payment made and goods delivered, Wen Jingshu stepped aside of her own accord.
She had no desire to involve herself in the karma between Mei Yu and the Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves.
Selling the talismans to Mei Yu was already her greatest concession.
Mei Yu was a sword cultivator, and sword cultivators were all madmen. Holding onto her last breath of strength and relying on the talismans, she managed to slaughter all the Bone-Corroding Spirit Wolves.
Watching Mei Yu lie on the ground in a wretched state, Wen Jingshu tossed her two Healing Talismans.
“That will be fifty low-grade spirit stones each, thank you.”
Hearing Wen Jingshu’s words, Mei Yu forced a difficult smile and retrieved one hundred low-grade spirit stones from her storage ring.
Seeing that Mei Yu had mostly recovered, Wen Jingshu brought her back to their original gathering spot.
Wang Kui and Tian Can had already been waiting there for a long time.
Seeing Mei Yu completely unharmed, Tian Can's eyes bulged with rage. “Wench, you actually used me as bait!”
“I’ll kill you!”
Unfortunately, missing a leg, Tian Can was like a cripple. Far from being able to kill Mei Yu, even dragging himself over to her was a massive struggle.
Seeing Tian Can’s miserable state, Mei Yu burst into loud laughter. “You're nothing but a cripple now, yet you still have the nerve to talk big about killing me?”
Watching Mei Yu completely throw caution to the wind, Wen Jingshu couldn't help but look at her askance.
It was like watching a pushover finally being pushed to their limit and biting back.
Rate on N.U.
